Yvette and one of her students, Samantha Schultheis (PSY, FSW) have developed a series of events this fall to explore the serious issue of human trafficking; these will take place on Mondays at 6:00pm, on Sept 18, Sept 25, and Oct 2 in 125. Samantha asks for your help in publicizing and encouraging attendance:

In the past, some professors incorporate seminars/cultural events into their syllabus in order to encourage their students to go out and learn beyond the classroom. This series is another one of those opportunities for students to apply what they have learned in class to the real world. Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar business, yet the majority of the public remains uneducated on the topic. Dr. Harris and I are hoping to change and inspire the students at Miami University to stand up for what they believe in and reach out to those in need.

On the 18th, there will be a discussion panel including police officers from both Cincinnati and Toledo, individuals who work with human trafficking survivors through the organization End Slavery Cincinnati, and a former FBI agent who worked on human trafficking cases. The panel will be moderated with questions about statistics, personal experiences, personal involvement, commonly unknown facts, as well as resources for survivors/warning signs.

For the 25th, there will be a presentation of the film ‘Sex Slaves’ – a documentary looking into the lives of traffickers, survivors, victims, and others involved in this modern day form of slavery.

The date of the survivor visit is going to take place on the 2nd of October due to the availability of the survivor to come to Miami. The survivor – Barbara Amaya – was a speaker on a Tedx Talk focusing on her 10 years of being trafficked. She will be presenting at Miami about her experiences as well as what more can be done to help survivors.

Thank you [and] I hope you will consider advertising this 3 part series to… encourage students to attend some of these events.